Electric floor sweeper

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a sweeper having a handle (2) and a sweeping element (3), a waste collecting reservoir (5), and electric suction means, characterized in that the sweeper also has electric blowing means (6), the suction means and the blowing/ejection means being selectively employed to suck waste into the reservoir or eject waste from the reservoir in an automated manner. The sweeper forms not only an automated waste suction device but also an automated waste discharging device, without it being necessary to manipulate the collecting reservoir in order to dispose of the waste.

The invention relates to a floor sweeper, in particular a sweeper with bristles, having an electric operation suitable for implementation as required.

Although a conventional sweeper is easy and quick to manipulate, it still has some drawbacks. This is because the user must have accessories available such as a dustpan and possibly a hand brush, and numerous movements are required such as bending down, gathering the waste, and walking to the trashcan to dispose of the waste, often demanding many trips back and forth between the sweeping areas and the trashcan. These movements are inconvenient and stressful to the back in particular with a risk of adopting a poor ergonomic posture, especially when bending forward with the back bent to gather up waste.

Electric sweepers are known, particularly having rotary brushes, that allow the floor to be swept like a vacuum cleaner, while sucking up waste/dust concurrently. However, said sweepers are entirely electric and can only be used while operating electrically with no manual operating option. This is because, the brushes of the sweeping head are planar, and the collecting reservoir and the electric means are arranged in the sweeping head, positioning the center of gravity at floor level, which produces a vacuum cleaner-type operation. Moreover, the user must make a number of movements to empty the waste. Said user must bend over, manipulate the sweeping head, disassemble/remove the reservoir, empty the reservoir into a trashcan, and refit the reservoir once emptied. This type of electric sweeper, having its center of gravity towards the floor, is, or seems, heavy, difficult to handle and may become wearisome to use compared with a conventional manually operated sweeper.

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a floor sweeper that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks, while being easy to use and minimizing movements, including for disposing of the dust/waste.

According to the invention, the sweeper has a handle, a sweeping element to sweep a surface such as a floor, in particular a sweeping element with bristles, a waste collecting reservoir and electric suction means, characterized in that the sweeper also has electric waste blowing/discharge/ejection means, the suction means and the blowing/ejection means being selectively employed to suck waste into the reservoir or eject waste from the reservoir in an automated manner.

Thus, the sweeper incorporates the vacuum function, and the user no longer needs a dustpan, nor does said user have to bend down; the detritus is sucked up as it is gathered together.

Moreover, the sweeper advantageously incorporates the dust/waste ejection function to automatically empty the reservoir. The user does not have to manipulate the sweeper except to select the function and press a button in order to implement the blowing means that automatically empty the waste, said user having previously positioned the sweeper above a container such as a trashcan.

The sweeper is operated manually and electrical operation can be selected to suck or blow the waste (once swept and gathered together). The term “electrical operation can be selected” means that the electric suction function is not necessarily employed concurrently with the manual sweeping function. The sweeper is predominantly a conventional sweeper used manually. The electric function is implemented after sweeping and gathering together the waste, and used again to get rid of the waste.

According to one characteristic, the sweeper comprises at least one inlet for sucking waste into the reservoir, which is common to an outlet for discharging/blowing/ejecting waste from the reservoir and the sweeper.

According to another characteristic, the electric suction means and the electric blowing means form a unitary device comprising an electric motor suitable for rotating in two opposite rotational directions (selectively in one or the other direction, in one direction for the suction function and in the opposite direction for the blowing function). The sweeper also comprises a fan associated with the motor. The fan is driven by the motor rotating in one or the other direction.

The sweeper comprises at least one control device, such as a three-position control device, for selecting as required a suction function, a blowing function or an electric stop function (manual operation).

Advantageously, the electric suction means, the electric blowing means and the waste reservoir are incorporated in a cylindrical body fixed between the handle and the sweeping element. The cylindrical body is in the shaft of the handle, while the sweeping element is transverse to the cylindrical body and to the handle. The sweeper thus has a medial center of gravity, at neither the lower nor the upper end of the sweeper; the user can easily use the sweeper as a conventional sweeper, making pendulum-type movements with no impression of having to drag a weight. Moreover, all the elements forming the sweeper are designed to provide a sweeper weighing approximately 700 grams.

The sweeper comprises air outflow and inflow openings, placed in particular peripherally in the region of a cylindrical body housing the electric suction and blowing means.

The sweeper comprises an air filter cooperating with an end of the reservoir opposite that through which the waste is sucked or blown.

Advantageously, the reservoir has a transparent window displaying the level of dust/waste. According to another characteristic, the sweeping assembly comprises a sweeping head (preferably substantially rectangular) and means for brushing/sweeping the floor such as bristles, the head being provided with an opening for the waste to pass through, preferably elongate (in a direction perpendicular to the handle), and suitable for communicating with the reservoir, the brushing elements being distributed at the periphery of the opening.

Preferably, the sweeper is a sweeper with bristles, the sweeping element comprising a head and a multiplicity of bristles covering the lower surface of the head (except around an opening) and projecting from the head. A “sweeper with bristles” means a conventional sweeper having bristles of a substantial height, in particular approximately at least 3 cm to 5 cm or more, for sweeping a surface while allowing the bristles to be slanted or curved.

In the rest of the description, the term “height,” and the qualifiers “upper,” “lower,” “high” and “low” of an element of the sweeper are used in the context of normal use of the sweeper, in other words, vertical to the horizontal floor with which the brushing/sweeping elements of the sweeper cooperate.

The present invention will now be described using examples that are purely illustrative and in no way limit the scope of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of the sweeper according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical cross section of the sweeper.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from below of the sweeper.

The sweeper 1 shown in the figures is used to sweep a surface such as a floor. According to the invention, the sweeper 1 comprises a grasping handle 2, a sweeping head 3 with bristle-type brushing/sweeping elements 4, a waste collecting reservoir 5, and electric suction and discharge/blowing means which form a common system 6.

The sweeper 1 according to the invention has three functions, a manual sweeping function, a motorized waste suction function and a motorized waste ejection function so that the user can, while sweeping or after sweeping, automatically suck up the waste and then automatically discharge said waste into a trashcan without having to manipulate the sweeper in the region of the waste collecting reservoir thereof.

The reservoir 5 and the common electric suction and discharge/blowing means 6 are incorporated in a hollow, elongate body 7 arranged at the interface between the grasping handle 2 and the sweeping head 3.

The body 7 is preferably cylindrical with a circular cross section.

The body 7 has a cross section larger than that of the handle 2, the handle 2 having the usual diameter for a sweeper suitable for grasping and manipulating the sweeper.

The handle 2 is made of aluminum, for example, and is preferably hollow to house various operational elements as well as electric cables and connections.

The sweeper 1 comprises an actuation device 8 to select the operating mode of the sweeper. The actuation device has in particular three positions, a neutral electric stop position, an electric suction operating position and an electric discharge operating position.

Preferably, the actuation device 8 is arranged on the handle 2.

The suction and blowing means 6 operate preferably using a battery 20 which is housed inside the body 7 or in this case the handle 2.

The battery 20 can by recharged by an electric socket 21 which is positioned preferably at the upper distal end 2A of the handle 2, for example forming part of a cap 22 closing said upper end 2A of the handle. A 7.4-volt battery is sufficient to operate the sweeper.

The routing of the electric supply and the connection of the different electric elements, such as the socket 21, the battery 20, the actuation device 8 and the suction and blowing means 6, are invisible to the user inside the hollow handle 2.

The electric suction and discharge/blowing means are combined in the common system 6 which advantageously comprises an electric motor 60 suitable for rotating in two rotational directions, in one or the other direction depending on whether the suction or blowing function is selected.

The suction and blowing system 6 comprises the motor 60 which is housed in a motor compartment 61, and a fan 62 driven by the motor.

The electric motor 60 is a 7.4-volt motor, for example, rotating at 59,000 rpm. It is supplied by the battery 20.

The motor compartment 61 is arranged adjoining the handle 2. Said motor compartment is a one-piece part which comprises a cylindrical distal body 62 in which the motor 60 is housed, a tapered proximal portion 63, and an opposite distal extension 64. The cylindrical distal body 62 is arranged inside the hollow cylindrical body 7 of the sweeper. The opposite distal extension 64 is for fitting in the lower free end 2B of the handle 2. The motor compartment/part 61 allows the body 7 of the sweeper to be fixed to the handle 2. The proximal tapered portion 63 is arranged at the interface between the handle 2 and the body 7; said portion is provided with apertures 65 that open to the exterior of the sweeper for cooling the motor. Downstream of the motor 60 (opposite the handle 2), a rotating spindle 9 is arranged which on one side is fixed to the shaft of the motor 60 and on the opposite side supports the fan 62 so as to drive said fan in the direction of rotation of the motor.

The sweeper also has, associated with or arranged in the hollow body 7, the collecting reservoir 5, an air filter 50, means 51 of air outflow and inflow with the exterior of the sweeper, and a waste suction inlet/waste discharge outlet 52.

The collecting reservoir 5 is arranged between the fan 62 and the sweeping head 3. The reservoir 5 is cylindrical, and may form a portion of the cylindrical body 7. The reservoir 5 has a longitudinal transparent window 53 displaying the height of the waste, preferably made of a transparent plastics material.

The air filter 50 is fixed to the upper free end of the reservoir 5. The air filter is for example made of foam and is preferably housed in a circular support fixed for example by snap-clipping to the reservoir 5.

The air outflow and inflow means 51, to provide the respective functions of air outflow during suction and air inflow during blowing, are formed of a plurality of apertures arranged in the thickness of the body 7 between the air filter 50 and the fan 62.

The waste suction inlet/waste discharge outlet 52 is arranged at the lower free end of the body 7 and cooperates with the sweeping head 3. Said inlet/outlet is preferably closable. Said inlet/outlet 52 is for example a valve, preferably made of rubber, which opens during suction and blowing.

Finally, the sweeping head 3 comprises a body 30 which is substantially parallelepiped-shaped, bristles 4 rigidly connected to the body of the head for sweeping, and a waste suction inlet/waste blowing outlet formed by a waste suction/discharge opening 32.

The head 30 comprises centrally on one of the faces thereof (the face referred to as the upper face), a tubular attachment end-piece 33 allowing the head 30 to be fixed to the lower end of the body 7 of the sweeper. Said tubular end-piece 33 is hollow to provide a passage arranged facing the inlet/outlet 52 of the body 7.

On the opposite face, referred to as the lower face, the head 30 comprises the opening 32 extending longitudinally to the body of the head to maximize the suction surface, at the periphery of which the bristles 4 of the sweeper are attached. The bristles 4 of the sweeper project from the lower surface of the head body 30 and the aperture 32. Said bristles are made of a synthetic material, for example. The longitudinal aperture 32 cooperates with a central passage 34 arranged in the thickness of the head 30 up to the attachment end-piece 33 for conveying the waste from the aperture 32 to the inlet/outlet 52 of the body 7.

Preferably, to allow the interior of the head body 30 through which the dust passes to be cleaned, the sweeper head 3 comprises a removable guide part 35 being fixed in the opening 32.

Some parts of the sweeper, such as the motor compartment 61, the fan 62, the air filter support 50, the valve 52, the head 3, the guide part 35 and the attachment end-piece 33 are made of a plastics material, preferably a recycled plastics material, for example recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

Consequently, the sweeper according to the invention is easy to use and is normally used for sweeping, by manual sweeping to gather the waste/dust together, and forms, through the electric suction means, a vacuum to suck up the waste after sweeping without having to bend down to scoop up said waste, while also forming an automatic waste discharge device, without having to manipulate the collecting reservoir to dispose of the waste. 

1. Sweeper having a handle (2) and a sweeping element (3), a waste collecting reservoir (5), and electric suction means, characterized in that the sweeper also has electric blowing/ejection means, the suction means and the blowing/ejection means being selectively employed to suck waste into the reservoir or eject waste from the reservoir in an automated manner.
 2. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one inlet for sucking waste into the reservoir (5), which is common to an outlet for blowing waste from the reservoir and the sweeper.
 3. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that it operates manually and selectively electrically to suck or blow the waste.
 4. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a waste suction inlet and a waste ejection outlet in common, forming a valve (52), preferably made of rubber, which opens during suction and blowing.
 5. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric suction means and the electric blowing means form a unitary device (6) comprising an electric motor (60) suitable for rotating in two opposite rotational directions, and a fan (62).
 6. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one control device (8) for selecting as required a suction function, a blowing function or an electric stop function.
 7. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric suction means and the electric blowing means (6) and the reservoir are incorporated in a cylindrical body (7) fixed between the handle (2) and the sweeping element (3).
 8. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises air outflow and air inflow apertures (51), placed in particular peripherally in the region of a cylindrical body (7) housing the electric suction and blowing means (6).
 9. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an air filter (50) cooperating with the end of the reservoir (5) opposite that through which the waste is sucked or blown.
 10. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the reservoir (5) has a transparent window (53).
 11. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the sweeping element (3) has a hollow head body (30) at the periphery of which the bristles extend projecting, and in that the sweeper comprises a removable part (35) arranged in the hollow interior of the head body and serving as a means for guiding the waste from the sweeping element towards a common waste suction inlet/waste ejection outlet.
 12. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the sweeping element (3) is transverse to the handle (2) and the sweeper is used as a conventional sweeper by making pendulum-type sweeping movements.
 13. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the sweeping element (3) comprises a sweeping head (30) and elements (4) for brushing/sweeping the floor such as bristles, the head being provided with an opening (32) for the waste to pass through, preferably elongate, and suitable for communicating with the reservoir (5), the brushing elements (4) being distributed at the periphery of the opening (32).
 14. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the sweeping element comprising a multiplicity of bristles with a height of approximately at least 3 cm to 5 cm.
 15. Sweeper according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric suction and ejection means operate using a battery, said battery preferably being housed inside the handle. 